Postal workers set for rally today

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A South Bend rally is set for today along with hundreds across the country.Postal workers and community members will be marching in support of House Bill 1351, which would reform the way that the agency handles pensions. Right now the Postal Service has to set aside $5.5 billion dollars a year to pre-fund future retiree health care benefits. The President of the National Association of Letter Carriers for the South Bend Area, Tony Flora says that is the reason for all of the agency's financial woes."Let the Post Office use its own funds. That's what 1351 does. It allows the Post Office to use its own assets in order to get through a hard economy and changing technology," said Flora.A rally march is planned for 4:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon at the South Bend Post Office on Michigan Street. The march will go through downtown and end at Congressman Joe Donnelly's office on Colfax Avenue.Postal workers will then thank Congressman Donnelly for supporting House Bill 1351.Postal Service employees are trying to get the bill pushed through Congress before the federal fiscal year ends on September 30th.